Sheet feeding device



Dec. 1, 1942. J. F. PETERS SHEET FEEDING DEVICE Filed Aug. 26, 1941 Sheets-Sheet l lclyvl m:

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Patented Dec. 1, 1942 SHEET FEEDING DEVICE John F. Peters, Leonia, N. 3., assignor to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a cQ 'l l'ation of New J ersey Application August 28, 1941, Serial No. 408,398

' Claims: (Cl. 271-37) The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device and has particular reference to a rotary feeding device which is adapted to high speed feeding of 'sheets in successionfrom a stack of such sheets. v i

y In high speed production of articles made from sheet material such as containers and the like it has been found that the usual chain and sl de bar feeding devices common in container making practice, is sometimes unsuitable for feeding the sheets fast enough to keep up with other high speed elements of newer machines. This difficulty has been overcome by the instant invention which contemplates a rotary feeding device which is capable of feeding sheets at almost any speed which is now required in container making machines.

An object therefore of the invention is the provision of a sheet feeding device wherein the sheets are fed from a stack in timed order with a ro-. tary sweeping motion which separates a sheet from the remainder of the sheets in the stack and advances it along a predetermined path of travel so that a continuousprocession of sheets may be fed into a machine at a high rate of speed.

Another object is the provision of such a feeding device which includes yieldable gripper elements of simple construction that grip a sheet from the stack and feed it forward with a rapid but easy motion. v

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in, connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a side elef'vation of a sheet feeding device embodying the instant invention, the view showing a plurality of sheets in the device, with parts broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a perspective'view ofione of the working parts of the device;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1, with parts broken away;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 44 in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken substantially along the line 55 in Fig. 1, with parts broken away.

device for feeding fibre blanks A from which .con-

'tainer parts are made, although the device is other sheets such as tin plate or the like from which containers are'made.

- .The sheets designated bythe letter A are preferably arranged in stack form in an inclined chute or magazine ll (Fig. 1) and are adapted to be fed onto a table I! where they may be further propelled along a desired. path of travel by a conveyor l3. Such a conveyor is shown, by way of example, for advancing the sheets in timed order after being fed from the magazine.

The conveyor 13 preferably includes a pair of spaced and parallel endless chains I4 (see also Fig. 5) which take over sprockets l5 carried on a cross shaft l8 journaled in bearings liformed in a machine frame l8 which supports the table l2.-. The shaft may be rotated in any suitable manner such as by a gear I 9 which is carried on one end of the shaft. The chains operate in longitudinal grooves 22 formed in the top of the table. Feed dogs 23 spaced at intervals alon the chain engage'in back of the fed sheets and advance them along the table.

The stack of sheets A are retained in an inclined position in the chute Ii by a pair of roller stops 25 (Figs. 1, 3 and 5) which are'located at the bottom of the stack of sheets. There is one of these roller stops on each side of the chute and they are arranged to permit a sheet to pass under them while being fed from the stack. The rollers are mounted on studs 26 which are threaded into lugs 21 formed on the sides of the chute.

The sheet feeding device is located at the bottom of the stack of sheets adjacent the roller stops 25. This feeding device includes a rotatable body member or long hub 31 mounted transversely of the machine table I! and is carried -on a. driving shaft 32 which overhangs the table.

The shaft is joumaled' in a bearing 33 formed in a portion of the frame l8 which extends above the table and preferably overhangs one edge thereof. This shaft is driven. in time with the conveyor l3 and for this purpose carries a gear 35 which meshes with and is driven by the gear l9.

Adjacent each end of the hub 3|, the feeding device includes two yieldable feed shoes 4! disposed on opposite sides of the hub, l. e., apart, making four feed shoes in all. These feed shoes H are mounted on pivot studs 42 secured in lugs 43. which project out from the hub.

Each feed shoe 4| (Fig. 5) has a long arm 45' surface. The groove sets off a pair of spaced and equally well adapted to the feeding of me .lor parallel side guides 41 having a shoulder seat 48 of the spring 8|.

for a curved plate 49. The plate is surrounded by a resilient band 5|, preferably made of rubber. This plate rests on the shoulder seats 48 and thereby permits the lower run of the band to fit into the wide groove without unduly squeezing it. The plate and band are secured in place by cap screws 52 which extend through the arm and. through the resilient band and are threaded into the plate.

The arm 45 of each shoe is maintained under spring pressure by a compression spring 55 which is interposed between the arm and the hub 3|. These springs, are seated in recesses 56 formed in the arms and in recesses 51 formed in the hub. The springs force the arms outwardly and. this pressure is normally resisted by a setscrew 58 threaded into a lug 59 which extends out from each of the shoes 4|.

The setscrews 58 engage against the hub and may be adjusted to limit the outward travel of the shoe arm 45. After adjusting the screw it may be locked against movement by a locknut 6|. The normal position of the shoe arm 45 is preferably with its outermost end spaced slightly further away from the hub than its innermost end as shown in Fig. 1.

In the middle of the hub 3|, i. e., between each pair of the outer shoes 4|, the hub carries two inner or co-operating shoes 65 (see also Fig. 2). These shoes are spaced so thateach one is on an opposite side of the hub and slightly in advance of the adjacent outer'shoe 4| so that they will be in overlapping and staggered relation. These inner shoes are mounted on short pivot pins 66 carried in pairs of spaced lugs 61 which extend outwardly from the hub 3|.

The inner shoes 65 are formed with curved arms 1| provided with 'transversely spaced side lugs 72 formed with shoulder seats 13 which retain in position a curved plate 14 having a surrounding resilient band similar to the band 5|. The plate of each shoe is clamped in positionby cap screws 16 which extend through the shoe arm 65 and through the inner run of the band 15 and are threaded into the plate.

Like the outer shoe arms 45, these inner shoe arms H are maintained under pressure of compression springs 8| which are interposed between the arms and the hub 3|. These springs are seated in recesses 82 formed in the arms and in recesses 83 formed in the hub. An adjusting setscrew 85 threaded into a lug 85 formed on each inner shoe 65 engages against the hub and thus retains the shoes, in a position identical with the outer shoes 4|, against the resistance of the springs 8|. A locknut 81 is also provided on the screw to hold it in an adjusted position.

Rotation of the hub 3| is in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 4, and hence during this rotation an inner shoe 65 first engages the foremost sheet A in the stack and withdraws it therefrom. This is immediately followed by the outer shoes 4| which come into 4 engagement with the sheet and continue its advancement. In engaging the sheet the. orerhost or lower end of the resilient band 15 of the inner shoe first comes into contact with the sheet and as the hub rotates the remainder of the band revolves into contact with the sheet. This engagement rocks the shoe inwardly against the force the sheet and increases the frictional contact between the contacting band and the sheet.

In a similar manner the foremost ends of the bands of the outer shoes 4| first engage the sheet This puts a slight pressure on.

and as the hub continues to rotate the remainder of the band rolls into place with a dragging action that continues the advancement of the sheet. The sheet thus separated from the stack moves onto the table l2 and as its rear edge leaves the bands of the outer shoes 4| the feed dogs 2| of the conveyors l3 pick up the fed sheet and carry it away as hereinbefore mentioned. 7

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the resilient bands of both of the shoes 4|, remain in frictional engagement with the sheet until the sheet is well beyond the vertical center line of the feedingdevice so that the next following sheet may be fed right on the tail of the first sheet. This is brought about by the springs 55, 8| which yield when the shoes come in contact with the sheet as the shoe passes down and under the hub 3|. The springs expand and rock the shoes outwardly against the sheet as the shoes travel upwardly with the hub.

With such a construction close feeding of sheets may be obtained. In order to further expedite the feeding of the sheets for high speed operation, the device is arranged to feed two sheets for each revolution of the hub 3|. It is for this purpose that there are two oppositely disposed inner shoes 65 and two cooperating outer shoes 4| for each inner shoe.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from-the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A sheet feeding device comprising in combination, a rotatable body member, and an elongated feed element pivotally connected inter-'- mediate its ends to said body member, spring means disposed between said pivotal connection and one end of said feed element for yieldably urging said element outwardly to feeding position, and means disposed between said body member and said feed element on the opposite side of said pivotal connection for limiting outward movement of said feed element under the urge of said spring means. said feed element being engageable with a sheet in a stack of such sheets for withdrawing the sheet from the stack and for advancing it along a predetermined path of travel when the body member rotates.

2. A sheet feeding device comprising in combination, a rotatable body member, an arcuate feed element pivotally connected intermediate its ends to said body, spring means disposed between said pivotal connection and one end of said feed element for yieldably urging the latter outwardly to feeding position, and means disposed between said body member and said feed element on the opposite side of said pivotal connection for adjustably limiting the extent of outward movement of said feed element under the urge of said spring means, and a resilient instrumentality secured to the feeding end of said element and engageable with a sheet in a stack of such sheets for withdrawing the sheet from the stack and for advancing it along a predetermined path of travel when the body member rotates.

, 3. A sheet feeding device comprising in combination, a rotatable body member, and a pluelements being successively engageable with suc- V rality of feed elements pivotally connected to. said body member in staxgered and overlapping relation, said feed elements pmsressiveiv pressrality of sets of feed elements each pivotally 10 connected intermediate its ends to said body member at spaced intervals therearound, spring means disposed between said pivotal connection and the outer end of each of said feed elements for normally yieldably urging the latter outwardl5 ly radially of said rotatable body member into sheet feeding position, and means interposed between said body member and each of said teed elements on the opposite side of said pivotal concessive sheets in a stack of such sheets for rapidly withdrawing them from the stack in spaced and; timed order when the body member rotates, said feed elements also advancing said withdrawn sheets along a predetermined path of travel.

5. A sheet feeding device comprising in combination, a rotatable hub,- means {or rotating said hub, a plurality of arcuate feed arms pivotally connected to said hub, compression springs interposed between said arms and said hub for pressing the arms outwardly and for rendering them yieldable, stop screws on said feed arms for limiting their outward travel, removable arcuate plates secured to said feed arms, and a resilient in'strumentality on each of said plates for frictionally engaging against a sheet in a stack of such sheets for withdrawing the sheets nection tor ndiustablr limitlnz the decree or 20 individually from the stable outward movement of said teed element under the urge'of said spring means, said of iced JOHN Firms. 

